Tilden, William

Tilden, (William Tatem, Jr.) “Big Bill” (1893–1953) tennis player; born in Germantown, Pa. The dominant tennis player during sports' "golden age" of the 1920s, he won seven U.S. Open championships (1920–25, 1929), three Wimbledon titles (1920–21, 1930), and led the U.S. Davis Cup team to seven consecutive victories (1920–26). Turning professional in 1931, he won several pro titles, including the doubles title in 1945. He was publisher and editor of Racquet magazine, wrote several books on tennis, including, The Art of Lawn Tennis (1920), and made numerous short films on tennis. A 1950 poll overwhelmingly voted him the greatest tennis player of the first half of the 20th century.